Category: Sri Guru Gita

Jaya Guru Datta.

Forgetting the main purpose for which we sought a Guru, we may now seek Guru’s help to fulfill our material desires that were suppressed for so long. We forget that we should seek Spiritual Knowledge and liberation!

It can be compared to the event wherein we are asked to count the gold coins. Forgetting that our duty is to merely count the coins and considering it our fortune to be blessed with a chance of counting the coins, we instead think- ‘oh anyway there are heaps of coins here. What is lost if I pocket a couple of handfuls’ or ‘oh, can you please give me a couple of handfuls of these gold coins’. Such thoughts come to the head. We forget our duty to count coins.

Similarly, when we see the Supreme Being who can grant everything we seek, we begin to chase our material desires. There are many who fall in this category. These desires take us in all directions.

To add to this, Guru’s tests also begin from this point itself.  Instead of thinking- “O I am seeing the Supreme Lord. I had this chance for darshan. I am lucky”, we begin to think of the material problems that we can explain to Him. We begin to tell Him all our problems.

“After attaining Him, our mind has attained peace no doubt, but in our house problems are on the rise” with this attitude there are many who have left their Guru.

There are some who state, “This doctor gave me some medicine. After taking couple of doses my pain has aggravated”. The truth is that only the symptoms aggravate, the doctor can pluck it out in totality. This is the method he adopts.

Just because gold is precious, is it possible to create a jewel from crude gold without putting it into fire? Gold has to be put in fire and beaten before it can be cleansed. Can we say that the silk cloth is very precious and hence we refrain from washing it? Likewise, Guru has to put a devotee to test periodically so as to remove the hidden dirt from his mind. Without realizing this, the devotee runs away from his Guru.

The highest form of Guru’s test can be understood from the story of Deepaka which is contained in Datta Purana. There are many examples which teach us the importance of Guru’s tests. The more the tests, the purer one emerges.

Om sadgurubho namah

Just because it is said that Guru himself will come to us, can we sit back relaxedly without putting in any efforts? This could be a doubt entertained by many.  This again is incorrect.

This is because, for the well-being of his trillions of his devotees, the primordial Guru, who is an ocean of compassion, accepts innumerable forms. However, not every form is suitable for you. Further, unless and until you attain the eligibility to obtain Him, the Sadguru, who is within your vicinity, in a form that is suited for your upliftment, will not make himself visible to you.

Knowledge (Jnana) in us is visible only when we attain the eligibility. i.e. when all the evil is destroyed.

The person who is desperate to get a Guru will search for the Guru with full zeal. Even if he is asked to sit and wait, he cannot do so. He will keep relentlessly searching for a Guru. 

To search thus is your duty. Searching thus is an indication of your having attained eligibility. When this worthiness is reached, your Guru will appear before you in a form, which as explained earlier, gives you total peace of mind. Until then He will not appear.

First and foremost, mental calmness is needed. Total dedication, purity and devotion are essential pre-requisites from your side.

Guru, who could be within our vicinity, will make himself visible to us when this worthiness appears in us.

‘Ok. Now that we have found a Sadguru, He will take over our complete responsibility’. If you have been thinking in this line, then you are in for a very bad fall. Upon seeing the Sadguru there are many who say, “I give up everything from now on. You take over all my responsibilities. You get my daughter married.” This is a type of laziness.

No doubt you have climbed one great milestone in your life, but you are still only on the parapet wall of the building. From here it is easy to fall off. Your intense burning desire to get a Guru and your efforts in that direction have paid off.

Due to this, upon seeing the Guru you mind gets great relief. The ‘thought process’ has attained some rest. The senses have achieved courage and confidence. As a result, the mind has lost the fear. 

When the mind loses fear, the control it exercised over the senses may now loosen due to which the many desires that were subdued for long, may now awaken in the individual. Relaxing or loosing the grip over the senses will push us back into the web of material desires.

‘Once we have procured a Sadguru, why should we work hard? What is the need for stringent efforts? We can live as we please. We can eat as we please. There is no need for strict disciplines and worship. We can enjoy life’. When one thinks in this manner, problems begin. Only when the same efforts and the same dedication that were put in to attain a Guru are relentlessly continued, the end result will be fruitful. In its absence, it will be a waste.

During the course of life, we visit great Mahatmas. While doing so, at one place for no apparent reason, the mind will experience great calmness and peace. Only when the burning desire exists in the heart, will such experience occur!

In other words, absolute dedication (shraddha) and devotion (bhakti) should be strong in the person. If they truly exist then, you will find your Guru one day or the other in this lifetime.

While seeing the surroundings at this place, when experiencing the tremendous energy that pervades the place we experience a great stillness and peace of mind. An unexplainable happiness and bliss will envelop the mind. The confidence that all our problems will be resolved at this place and that all our fears will be dispelled here will arise in the mind.

More importantly, the feeling that ‘this person belongs to me’,‘ he is our family member’ ‘our problems will disappear because of him’ will sprout on its own in our heart. Thus, that person in the presence of whom, our mind thus stabilizes, is our Guru.

 Understand that this is your Guru’s place. The truth is that Your Guru himself has come to you. Thus, without any effort, our mind attains peace in the Guru’s presence, such is his aura. Such is the sacredness of that place! Such is his greatness!  It causes an inexplicable bliss in the person.

When Narada visited the place of Kama dahana (destruction of desires) and performed penance, he felt that he had attained victory over desires. When he was thus very happy with the outcome, Vishnu asked him – “Narada, where did you perform the penance?” Narada said- “at the place of kama dahana kshetra”. Vishnu replied, “you could conquer desires solely because of the greatness of the place. For this reason, you were able to conquer your senses while in that place. You go to any other place and check if similar mental state continues”.

Thus, in this manner Guru himself comes to you. This is because He is aware of your limitation in recognizing and locating Him. Just because it is said that Guru himself will come to us, can we sit back relaxedly without putting in any efforts on our part? This could be a doubt entertained by many.  This again is incorrect.

This is because, for the well-being of his trillions of his devotees, the primordial Guru, who is an ocean of compassion, accepts varied forms.

Due to this faith that he developed on his Guru, the boy studied well and he acquired mastery in mathematics. Only then the boy realized that not only did his master know the hundred table, but that he was a master in this entire subject. He also realized that hundredth table is just one small drop in the entire vast subject.

Just like the boy in the story, we too lack the ability to identify our Spiritual Guru.  Likewise seeing certain traits and abilities in the Guru, hearing the opinions of certain people who are on this path, the Guru is selected by the devotee.

Here too there are certain difficulties. Going by the external grandeur exhibited, miracles displayed or oratory skills demonstrated or publicity attained, people get misled. They are cheated. They will think- “O my God, look at the publicity, look at the following or look at the money involved” and thus they get influenced by it.

What then is the right method to be adopted in finding a Guru? To answer this, let us know the reason why we wanted a Guru in the first place. To procure that light which has no shade and to fulfill the 3 basic desires we wanted a Guru in the first place.

Towards this there should be an endless burning desire. To achieve this, we should visit great souls. While doing so, at one place for no apparent reason, the mind will experience great calmness and peace. Only when the burning desire exists in the heart, will such experience occur!

In other words, absolute dedication (shraddha) and devotion (bhakti) should be strong in the person. If they truly exist then, you will find your Guru one day or the other in this lifetime.

While seeing the surroundings at this place, when experiencing the tremendous energy that pervades the place we experience a great stillness and peace of mind. An unexplainable happiness and bliss will envelop the mind. The confidence that all our problems will be resolved at this place and that all our fears will be dispelled here will arise in the mind.

Walking on the path of Guru is not an easy task. However, Supreme Lord Shiva, who is the father of the universe, has in great detail explained all secrets in this path to Mother Parvati.

First question which needs to be addressed is -Who is a Guru? We address everyone who has a beard, who wears saffron clothes, beads and chains as Guru. More importantly we chase people who grow beard and address them as Guru. Such persons unhesitatingly swindle the person who thus follows him or addresses him as a Guru. Very often, people approach that person who has a very great following and address him as Guru.

The main question then arises is- how should we select our Guru?

Therefore, the first step is selection of Guru. We assume that offering service to Guru, washing his clothes etc. is service to Guru (Guru Seva). But real Guru seva lies in identifying the right Guru.

The truth is that you are incapable to select your Guru, because you cannot identify whether the person is knowledgeable or not. How are we to know whether a person has the required knowledge or not? On what basis will you identify a Guru? Is it on the basis of his clothing or identity marks or his following?

Once a first grader asked his teacher if he knew the one table. The teacher recited the entire multiplication table for 1. The student who did not know the multiplication table, asked a passerby if what his teacher was reciting was correct or not. The passerby confirmed that it was correct.

Not satisfied with this, he enquired from another old man if what his teacher was reciting was correct or not. The boy was in a dilemma. He did not know the table himself. He was not able to totally believe others who were emphatically declaring that he was correct.

Yet, based on the confidence asserted by the teacher during reciting, due to the love shown by the teacher towards him and the confirmation issued by the passers by, the boy was gradually influenced and he was attracted towards the teacher.